Here is a list of the best keto diet condiments. To make the list, these condiments need to be tasty, low carb (or no carb ideally) and add a ton of flavor to your food. I’ll start with my favorites which you can find at any local grocery store before listing better versions that you can make yourself if you’ve got the time and want to put the effort in.
Without further adieu, here are the best keto condiments.
Mayonnaise
The cadillac of keto sauces (and one of my personal favorite condiments), good old mayonnaise. It’s got no sugar or carbs, it’s full of fat, and it’s tangy and delicious. It was my favorite condiment before I did keto, and it remains a great addition to add fat to any meal.
If you’re avoiding canola oil or other vegetable oil, you can find some that are made with avocado oil, or olive oil. If you’re trying to do vegan keto, you can find versions without egg yolk.
You can use it as a base for other dressing and sauces by adding lemon juice or other seasonings.
It makes a fantastic dipping sauce for green veggies or chicken.
It doesn’t get any better than mayo. The versatility and options are endless.
If you want to make your own, check out my olive oil mayonnaise recipe.
Hot Sauce
If mayo is the best for keto, then hot sauce is a close second in the low-carb condiments hierarchy. It’s better for weight loss, and will make boring food come alive without blowing your calories. They range in spiciness and flavors, but make sure to pick something like tabasco sauce and avoid ones with more sugar like sriracha (check the grams of net carbs on the back of the bottle). Chili peppers are amazing!
Ranch Dressing
Similarly to mayo, there are some great options for ranch dressings and most of them are a great complement to keto meals. They’re high fat and generally low carb so the nutritional value checks out.
Soy Sauce and Coconut Aminos
Soy sauce is amazing. Beef and broccoli is a perfect keto dish. There are a few carbs in soy sauce but because of how salty it is, it’s hard to do too much of it, especially if you salt your food as well. Some people don’t like the soy though, in which case coconut aminos does the same trick. Be careful though, there are more carbs in the aminos so check the bottle before you start pouring it on liberally. This one also makes a good keto marinade with some garlic powder, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar. Leave your beef in there for a few hours before cooking it and you’ll have a great low carb diet meal.
I’m not kidding about the carb count on the aminos though. Check before you knock yourself out of ketosis.
Sour Cream and Cottage Cheese
Sour cream is amazing, tastes great and adds fat to lean protein like eggs. Make sure you get the full fat stuff though, this is one of those foods where the low fat stuff is much higher in carbs. I’m going to say it over and over. Make sure you read the package and know what the serving size is because it’s easy to overdo it. Cottage cheese has 3 or 4 net carbs a serving so less is more here. Still tastes great though and it’s easy to work in.
Sour cream is great on all kinds of foods. Some examples include: cabbage rolls, lettuce tacos, eggs, and coleslaw.
Guacamole
Speaking of tacos and sour cream, do you know what goes great with those foods and everything else? Guacamole. Avocados are the keto superfood – high fat, high fiber AND low carb. They’re great! You can also buy prepackaged guac at the supermarket if you’re not feeling like making it yourself.
Make sure you take it easy on the high carb aromatics and vegetables though. Don’t put too much tomato or onion in there. Stick to garlic, lemon or lime juice, chili powder, and cilantro to kick things into high gear.
Mustard
Similarly to hot sauce, mustard (especially yellow mustard) has no carbs and essentially no calories. It’s made of sunshine and magic. What’s a burger without mustard? Just forget the bun and you’ve got another great keto meal. Top it or wrap it in low-carb vegetables, some cheese, and a little mayo (surprise surprise) and you’re off to the races.
Like everything else on this list, make sure you stick with the sugar-free option. Honey mustard is not sugar free unless you’ve looked at the nutrition and know that the version you’re buying is sweetened with artificial sweeteners like stevia or erythritol.
Chili oil
Chili oil can be drizzled on everything and is amazing for cooking with. It adds heat and flavor to fried foods and can be found in most supermarkets. Its perfect for a low-carb diet.
Spices and Herbs
This may not exactly be a condiment, but you need to flavor your food. Fresh herbs, seasonings, and spices are the difference between eating bland flavorless meals (which basically require some condiments to make taste palatable) and super satisfying, flavorful meals. If you aggressively season your meats and vegetables, you can get away with a lot less condiments and your food just tastes better.
An easy way to make great homemade sauces is to take a condiment and then add some extra spices and herbs to give it even more flavor. As I said above, I do this a lot with mayonnaise and it works great.
Also, as a side note, there are some great seasoning blends out there too if you just want to get something in the oven quick without putting a lot of time into finding a recipe. Not every meal needs to be a 5 star gourmet experience.
To me, this list above are the best keto-friendly condiments. They’re all the delicious ways that you can add a ton of flavor to your food without putting too much effort into making sure there isn’t a bunch of added sugar.
As a bit of a bonus, this next list is some of the condiments that are not keto but have Keto versions that are available to buy.
Sugar-Free Ketchup
Ketchup, tomato sauce, and tomato paste are not very keto friendly. Tomatoes are one of the higher carb veggies and there are usually some added sugars in there. That being said, there are some great options out there for lower sugar versions but they still have some carbs. Use them sparingly and make sure you know what the serving size is. Keto ketchup is essential if you’re the type of person who needs it on a burger.
Primal Kitchen has a great option!
Low Carb BBQ sauce
Similarly to ketchup, BBQ sauce usually starts with tomato (in some form) and sugar. You have to really look hard to find sugar-free keto BBQ sauce. Usually the keto option will be found in the natural ingredients section of your supermarket and not with the other condiments. That being said, a good steak sauce or barbecue sauce is sometimes a necessity, even on keto. Make sure you buy a good one like the ones make by the G. Hughes. brand which are lower carb. They have a bunch of different varieties too!
Keto Maple Syrup
Once we start hitting the maple syrup and keto pancakes, we’re at the bottom of the keto food chain. These are the things you eat when you can’t stop craving sugar. Good for you for trying to stick with it, I know it’s hard. believe me, I’ve been there. They do make some solid keto versions, just try to keep these for special occasions or weekend treats.
I’m sure part of the reason you started doing a ketogenic diet in the first place was to eat more whole foods. However, if this is the difference between sticking it out and falling off the wagon, then it’s a great way to bridge that gap and avoid the extra carbs from the real stuff.
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